Method for embroidering tufts



Aug. l2, 1969 w. L. cosa 3,460,495

. IETHOD FOR EMBROIDERING TUFTs Filed May 29, 1967 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR WALTER I.. COBB 2M/mn@ A.. ATTIORNEYS.-

Aug- 12, 1969 w. l.. COBB 3,460,495

METHOD FOR EMBROIDERING UFTS Filed May 29, 1967 4 SheetsfSheet 2 FIG. 2A. I

lll

INVENTOR WALTER L. COBB Y AT TORNEYS,

12,i 1969 w. l.. COBB 3,460,495

MIE'HOD FOR EMBROIDERING TUFTS Filed May 29, 1967 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 lIHNIHHIIHN' rNvENToR l Y WALTER L. cosa B Mr. MQRNEXLW Filed May 29. 1967 Mg. 12, 1969 w. l.. COBB 3,460,495

METHOD FOR EMBROIDERING TUFTS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 BY i 1 r ATTORNEYS. T

United States Patent O 3,460,495 METHOD FOR EMBROIDERING TUFTS Walter L. Cobb, 803 Morningside Lane, Ridgefield, NJ. 07657 Filed May 29, 1967, Ser. No. 642,068 Int. Cl. Dc 3/04, 11/18 U.S. Cl. 112-93 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A method for embroidering tufts on a base fabric by the operation of the conventional parts of a conventional Schiffli embroidery machine in such a manner that the tufts appear on one side of the fabric and the thread forming said tufts is pulled substantially coplanar with the other side of said base fabric.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The present invention relates to a method for embroidering tufts on a base fabric by the use of a conventional Schiflli embroidery machine.

Description of the prior art SUMMARY Schiffli embroidery machines having a horizontally movable frame for holding base fabric in a vertical planar orientation and for moving said base fabric in said plane are Iwell known. Such machines commonly include a plurality of reciprocatably operating needles, a large thread bar and a small thread bar and a rotatable emery roller all located on one side of the fabric. On the other side of the fabric are a plurality of shuttle boxes with substantially vertically reciprocatably movable shuttles therein. In accordance with the present invention the recited conventional parts are moved in timed relation so as to produce an1 excess of thread between the needle and the fabric, which excess of thread forms a loop, the loop being held at one end to the fabric by the back thread carried by the shuttle which locks the one end of the loop on the backside of the fabric and substantially coplanar therewith.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional Schiffli embroidery machine;

FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G and 2H are all schematic drawings of the salient elements of a Schiii machine in various conditions as the machine progresses through a cycle of operation to form a tuft or loop;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of a pair of shuttle boxes employed in connection with the machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view of the base fabric on a Schifi machine after it has been tufted thereby in accordance -with the present method; and

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of a piece of base fabric that has been tufted in accordance with the present method.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to FIG. l, a conventional Schiflli ernbroidery machine 10 comprises a base support 12 on which is mounted for vertical and horizontal movement a frame 14. The frame is provided with support means 16 for supporting two pieces of base fabric 18. Supported on the base 12 are a multiplicity of front 'thread bobbins 20 which are employed to embroider a pattern on the fabric 18. As may best be seen schematically in FIGS. 2A through 2H, the machine 10 also includes a multiplicity of horizontally reciprocatable needles 22 which are carried by reciprocating needle bars 24, a small thread bar 26 which oscillates on a pivoted support 27 to and from closely spaced extreme positions, a large thread bar 30 which oscillates on a pivoted support 31 between two relatively remote extreme positions, a plurality of shuttle boxes 32, one for each needle 22, which are disposed closely adjacent the rear of the fabric 18, a reciprocatable shuttle 34 in each of the shuttle boxes 32 and carrying therewithin back thread 36, and an emery roller 38. The thread bobbins 20 supply front thread 40 to the needles 22 in a path which may be traced from the bobbin 20, to the emery roller 38 and around the emery roller several turns and thence around the small thread bar 26 and thence around the large thread bar 30` and thence to the needle 22. The reciprocation of the needle 22 and the shuttle 34, the oscillation of the thread bars 26 and 30, and the vertical and horizontal movements of the frame 14 are all imparted in the well known conventional marrner on standard Schifiii embroidery machines and are preferably controlled, as is -well known, by a jacquard-type automat 42.

As the operation of the Schili machine during the embroidery of tufts or piles is cyclical, the description thereof can be started at any point in the cycle and the starting point selected is arbitrary and merely for the purpose of convenience. As will be stated more positively hereinafter in the description, this is also true of the definition of the method of operation contained in the claims appended hereto wherein the steps are recited in a predetermined order but the order is defined as cyclical in order to cover th method irrespective of where one starts to define the progressive steps therein.

As is well known to those skilled in the art of ernbroidery, the emery roller 38 is commonly an elongated felt covered roller about which the front thread 40 is wound several turns. The emery roller 38 may be termed a passive element in that there is no means for rotating the roller, it being rotated by the pull of the `front thread 40 which is wrapped therearound. However, means are provided for controlling the nature of the rotation of the emery roller said means being conventionally adapted to provide the roller with three modes of rotation commonly termed step-stitch, single blatt stitc and double blatt stitch. In the step stitch mode of rotation, lthe roller is permitted to rotate incrementally for a predetermined number of degrees and thereafter is positively stopped as by a ratchet wheel and dog. In the single blatt stitch mode of operation, the emery roll-er is permitted to rotate smoothly but -with a substantial braking force thereon whereas in the double lblatt stitch mode of operation of the emery roller is permitted to rotate smoothly with substantially no braking force applied thereto. The means for effecting these various modes of operation are well known and conventional and require no description herein. Su'ice it to say, in embroidering a pile or loops on the fabric 18, the emery roller is in the double blatt stitch or freely rotating mode of operation.

Commencing with FIG. 2A, the apparatus is shown with the needle 22 having just moved to its fully retracted or rightmost position. The small thread bar 26 at this time is in its fully retracted or rightmost position and is stationary and the large thread bar 30` is just to the left of its fully retracted or rightmost position (perhaps an eighth of an inch) and is also stationary. The shuttle 34 is in its lowermost position. It will be seen that the portion of the front thread between the retracted needle 22 and the fabric 18, that is portion 40a, is somewhat loose.

Starting from the described condition of FIG. 2A, the first step in the method is to move forward the small thread bar 26 which movement will apply tension to the thread portion 40a to tighten the stitch formed by the previous cycle of operation so as to make it substantially flush with the rear of fabric 18, adjust the length of the portion 40a between the fabric 18 and the needle 22, and subject the thread portion l40b between the needle 22 and the large thread bar 30 and the portion 40e between the large thread Ibar 30 and the small thread bar 26 to tension. The adjustment of the length of the portion 40a by the initial movement of the small thread bar 26 will control the height of the pile being formed as this pile height is dependent upon the length of the portion 40a. The apparatus is now in the condition illustrated in FIG. 2B.

As shown in FIG. 2C, the next step in the method is to move forward the large thread bar 30 which forward movement -will relieve the tension on the thread portions 40a and 40b as movement of the large thread bar 30 is significantly greater in distance than movement of the small thread bar 26.

As shown in FIG. 2D, the next step is to advance the needle 22 to form a loop 42 out of the portion 40a of the front thread 40, which movement commences during the previously described forward movement of the large thread bar 30. The needle 22 will pierce the fabric 18, pass through an aperture 44 in the front wall 46 of the shuttle box 32, traverse the entire depth of the shuttle box 32 and pass out through the aperture 48 in the rear wall 50 of the shuttle box 32 during its full forward movement as shown in FIG. 2D. It will be seen in FIG. 2D that as a result of the substantial length of the thread portion 40a, the loop 42 is formed on the front of the fabric 18 which loop has a substantial height and is in the form of a portion of a pile.

At the completion of the forward movement of the needle 22 to the position shown in FIG. 2D, both the small thread bar 26 and the front thread bar 30 will be in their forwardmost positions as well. At this point the needle is withdrawn or moved rightwardly a short distance in order to form a small loop 52 of front thread 40 within the shuttle box 32. The position of the needle when moved rightward the short amount is shown in FIG. 2E. Upon the needle being moved rightwardly the short amount it comes to a stop in the position of FIG. 2E yand the shuttle 3'4 is then moved upwardly from its lowermost position in the shuttle box 32 to pass the shuttle through the loop 52. FIG. 2E illustrates the shuttle as the toe 54 thereof is just passing through the loop 52.

The upward movement of the shuttle is continued until the heel 56 thereof has passed through the loop 52 and has cleared the path of the needle 22. Naturally, the upward movement of the shuttle as just described causes the back thread 36 to pass through the front thread loop 52 so as to be in a position to cause a locking of the stitch during the completion of the cycle of the loop forming method herein described. After the heel 56 of the shuttle 34 has passed beyond the path of the needle 22, the needle is moved once again forward or leftward to its leftmost position as shown in FIG. 2F. At this point, with the needle once again in its full forward position, the large thread bar 30 is pivoted to the right to place the entire front thread 40 under tension. However, with the needle 22 in its leftmost position the resistance to slippage of the portion of the thread 40 on the fabric side of the large thread bar 30 is far greater than the resistance on the other side of the large thread bar whereby front thread 40 will tbe pulled from around the emery roller which in turn will be supplied front thread from the spool 20 whereby to feed additional front thread towards the needle for the formation of the next loop 42 in the next cycle of operation.

After the large thread bar 30 has been moved a substantial distance rightward from its leftmost position as shown in FIG. 2F, the needle 22 is moved rightwardly towards its rightmost position and the timing between the commencement of the movement of the large thread bar 30 in a rightward direction and the movement of the needle 22 in the rightward direction will in part control the length of the thread portion 40a and hence the height of the loop 42 to be formed during the next cycle of operation. After the needle 22 has been withdrawn from the fabric 18 and is still moving rightward, the shutttle 34 is restored to its lower or rst position and the frame 14 will be moved to shift the fabric 18 relative to the needle 22 to position the fabric 18 for the formation of the next stitch. Continued rightward movement of the needle 22 Will tighten the front thread 40` around the back thread 34 to tighten the stitch in the substantially coplanar orientation with the rear of the front fabric 18. At this time the small thread bar 26 is moved from its leftmost position to its rightmost position to ease the tension on the front thread 40. To further slacken the front thread 40 the large thread bar 30 is moved forward a short distance from its fully retracted position shown in FIG. 2H to a slightly advanced position shown in FIG. 2A, whereby to restore the apparatus to the condition of FIG. 2A and to have completed one loop forming cycle.

As is preferred and is common on most Schifli embroidery machines, the shuttle boxes 32 are substantially vertically oriented, not varying from the vertical for more than about 15 degrees (see FIG. 3). It has been found that in moving the frame to form a pile, it is desirable to move the frame in a substantially vertical path somewhat parallel to the orientation of the shuttle boxes 32 and it is most preferable that the frame be -moved from stitch to stitch to define a serpentine line of stitches which serpentine line, on the pile side of the fabric 18, is substantially undiscernible and gives the pile the impression of smoothness and continuousness. The nature of the stitching from loop to loop from the rear of the fabric 18 can Ibe seen in FIG. 4.

In accordance with one additional feature of the present invention, the machine 10 can be employed not only for embroidering a pile on fabric 18 but, at the will of the operator or by instruction from the automat |42, for alternately stitching pile and straight embroidery. This may best be seen in FIG. 5 wherein portions of the pattern 60 on the fabric I8 are tufted as at 62 and other portions of the pattern 60 are at stitching as at 64. All that need be done in order to alter the machine from the formation of the pile 62 to the formation of ordinary embroidery stitching 64 is to alter the mode of rotation of the emery roller 38 from the double blatt stitch mode to the step stitch mode. Means are normally and commonly incorporated in the standard Schiii embroidery machines for accomplishing this shifting from double blatt stitch to step stitch and need no description herein.

Further, if it is desired to sculpture the tufting produced in accordance with the present method this can be accomplished by providing a mild braking force to the emery roller as can be accomplished in a single blatt stitch mode of operation. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the more braking force on the emery roller 38 the smaller the thread portion 40a and hence the lower the pile loop 42. Thus, by adjusting the braking force on the emery roller, the pile height can be adjusted.

Accordingly, in practicing the present method in combination with well known methods of operation of a conventional Schiflii embroidery machine pile heights of various sizes can be produced and flat embroidery stitching can be produced, all on one conventional Schiflli embroidery machine, the steps of which can all be controlled in the conventional manner through the use of a jacquard automat.

As already stated, in describing the present method I have arbitrarily selected a starting point in what is a cyclical series of steps forming my novel method. Accordingly, in the claims appended hereto I have defined the method as cyclical in order to convey the fact that when one works the method he may start at any step in the method as defined in the appended claims provided that he return to the first recited step in said cyclical operation after he has completed the recited last step, and continues until he has completed a full cycle.

While I have herein shown and described the preferred form of the present invention and have suggested modiifications therein, other changes and modifications may be made therein within the scope of the appended claims Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

'1. A method of forming a pile on fabric with an embroidery machine which comprises a frame for holding said fabric in a plane, means for reciprocably moving said frame along two perpendicular coordinates of said plane, an elongated shuttle box disposed on one side of said plane and having front and rear surfaces which are spaced apart in a direction perpendicular to said plane, said front surface having an aperture therein, a shuttle disposed within said shuttle box and reciprocably movable along the axis thereof between a first position in which said shuttle is disposed entirely on one side of said aperture and a second position in which said shuttle is disposed entirely on the other side of said aperture said shuttle having a container for back thread, a needle in register with said aperture and being reciprocably axially movable from a first position in which said needle is disposed entirely on the other side of said plane and a second position in which said needle is in said aperture and extends across the path of movement of said shuttle, a front thread, means for supplying said front thread to said needle including a smoothly rotatable emery roller, said front thread being wound around said emery roller and being threaded onto said needle, said method comprising the cyclical and sequential steps of (a) starting with said needle and said shuttle in their respective first positions,

(b) then pulling the front thread from the fabric and needle toward said emery roller to tighten a previously formed stitch and to adjust the length of -front thread between said needle and the fabric,

(c) then stopping the pulling of step (b) and feeding front thread toward said needle,

(d) then moving said needle toward said second position whereby to form a loop of front thread on the other side of said fabric plane,

(e) discontinuing step (c) and moving said needle into its second position,

(f) then moving said needle toward said first needle position a short distance so that said needle is still in said shuttle box whereby to form a front thread loop within said shuttle box,

(g) then moving said shuttle through the loop formed in step (f) toward said second shuttle position whereby to pull the back thread through said last mentioned loop,

(h) then moving said needle back to :its second position,

(i) then pulling front thread from said emery roller,

(j) after the commencement of step (i), moving the needle toward said first needle position,

(k) after the front of said needle has passed through the fabric in the movement of step (j), shifting said frame to position said fabric for the next stitch and moving said shuttle to its first position.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said frame is moved so as to define a serpentine line of stitches about a line that is parallel to the line of movement of said shuttle.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the line of movement of said shuttle is substantially vertical.

4. The method of claim 1 performed on a machine which further comprises a large thread bar disposed on said other side of said plane and movable between a first position remote from said plane and a second position closer to said plane, and a small thread bar disposed on said other side of said plane and movable between a first position remote from said plane and a second position closer to said plane, the distance between said first and second large thread bar positions being substantially greater than Vthe distance between said first and second small thread bar positions, said front thread extending around said large and small thread bars in its supply path from said emery roller to said needle, wherein steps (b), (c), and (i) are all performed by moving said large and small thread bars between their respective first and second positions.

5. A method of embroidering on a machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said machine further comprises means for selectively permitting said emery roller to rotate smoothly and to rotate incrementally, said method comprising at times practicing the method of claim 1 while said emery roller selective means permits said emery roller to rotate smoothly, and at other times practicing the method of claim 1 while said emery roller selective means permits said emery roller to rotate incrementally.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of at times applying a braking force to said emery roller whereby to reduce the pile height in formation.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 995,394 6/1911 Zahn 112*93 X 1,008,650 11/1911 Kobler 112-93 X 1,118,115 11/1914 Eggart 1l2-93 X 2,804,835 9/1957 .Tanney et al.

3,026,830 3/1962 Bryant et al. 112-79 3,110,276 11/1963 Penman 112-266 FOREIGN PATENTS 252,098 10/ 1912 Germany.

480,475 2/ 1938 Great Britain.

129,259 2/ 1929 Switzerland.

ALFRED R. GUEST, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 1 12-266 

